Surgical Treatment for Obesity

Weight-loss surgery is also called bariatric surgery. It's the only option today to treat morbid obesity in people for whom diet, exercise, and medication have failed.

A variety of approaches to bariatric surgery is available, but all procedures are either malabsorptive or restrictive, or a combination of the 2. Malabsorptive procedures change the way the digestive system works. Restrictive procedures greatly reduce the size of the stomach to hold less food, but the digestive functions remain intact.